Monday, August 26, 2013

So Jesus' talk about the banquet and where to sit: at the top or the bottom with the hope of being moved up... It's all a bit tricky this Christian Capitalism: sit lowly so that you might be promoted and build up some credit.

Let's look again at that image Jesus gives us:

If you eat only with those who are the same as you, then you've lost or risked nothing. It doesn't cost you a thing ethically, morally or justly. You've given nothing sacrificially. You've just balanced everything, kept the equilibrium.

Kingdom values enable us instead to do things that are costly. Real hospitality is costly, it is me, being rich, giving space, food, and most importantly a place to someone who is normally in my debt in the secular world. It is a bout taking a risk for strangers realising, in truth, we are all strangers.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Peter smiled... It had been a good nights fishing... (it was always best to fish just before the sun rose... the darkest part of the day)... His net was now full... and he was heading for shore... filled with memories still of Jesus... it had been a while now since Jesus had gone... but like it was etched like a scar in his mind… he still remembered that day... the darkest day... when Jesus had died and they were left alone...

But that memory was laid behind the more vivid memory... of the Sunday… when the disciples found Jesus among them as they ate bread and fish together in the upper room... They tore the bread... dividing it between them... reminding themselves of their last supper only a few days before… and there he was... Jesus… alive among them...

Bump... Peter was startled out of his daydream as his boat hit the shore... His mind had been so busy with memories he hadn’t been piloting the boat… and it had drifted and was now some distance from where he wanted to land... He looked over where he should have been... The newly risen sun was bright... but it seemed brighter over there... where it seemed a man standing by a fire... looking over at them… shielding his eyes...

"That looks like Jesus!" said Peter's brother... Peter had forgotten Andrew was with him...

Peter stared only a moment longer and suddenly jumped out the boat... and ran over to the man... His feet slid on the sand... His toes stubbed by rocks... but still he ran...

The man called to him, "Bring the fish!"… Peter hesitated and was about to turn back trying not to take his eyes off the man... when Andrew his brother came up behind him with the net... Peter drew breath... He didn't realise how full the net was... The two of them hauled it over to the fire...

The sun was just rising behind the man... and they couldn't make out who he was... Peter slumped the net down on the sand... and opened it… and began taking the silver darlings out... And as they did so... they counted them... One, two, three... because they always did... Twenty-three, twenty four, twenty five... to judge how successful the night had been... sixty- seven, sixty-eight... and so they went on... every fish... eighty one, eighty two, eighty three... Never had they caught so many on one night... 115, 116, 117... until they had practically run out of numbers... 151, 152, 153...

The two brothers held their breath and looked at each other... 153 fish...

Now what they knew that perhaps we didn't... is that in Peters day... they knew there to be 153 species of fish in the whole sea... they had caught every species there was...

The stranger on the beach had been silent while all this has been going on... Now he said... 'Bring some fish and we will eat'... He placed the fish on he fire... and took some bread out of a bag lying beside him... broke it... and then... they knew... who the stranger was...

And Jesus said to them... "153 fish... Eh?" It was like he was saying that he knew... that it was a truth in a picture... everyone… gathered for God... gathered in the net... The church... Into the community of God...

This is that place... that net… that beach... and here is that bread... Let us be gathered in God...

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Found this on the web today, that "when the Japanese mend broken objects they agrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe when something has suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful."

Just imagine us being upcycled every time we receive a blow, where the cracks in our humanity, our relationships, our faith are filled with gold, or the spiritual equivalent sich as grace or love. THis is the way to mend people, to renew people, to redeem what has been bruised and broken.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Mixing fishing and communion this week with the story of Jesus on the beach. Perfect for all age communion, but here's the call from or midweek service that might spark a thought. We're very off lectionary but it is nice to be in the wilderness wandering from rock to oasis every so often.

The light skims across the surfacebroken by a shatter of foamas a net is pulled from the water.A refraction of rainbow huesdances aliveacross thrashing scalesof the heaving massof plunder.Each onehas a nameand a homein a netmade of love and grace.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Soon
you'll see these banners around the cross at Bearsden. Beginning next
week we'll have leaflets and posters up with all the information you'll
need about the where and when.

Visit New Kilpatrick Parish
Church New Halls Festival Window where everything will be posted and
given life. Forms for the ghost walk will be there too and on this site
too so no need to panic, you can get your name down first. There will be
ghost walks every 15 minutes in led groups of 25 or so. Plenty of room
for everyone.

Monday, August 19, 2013

It's been a while since my last blog entry. Forgive me. But things are starting up again and the festival is taking over (it has its own facebook site. Just search for BearsdenFestival). It has been very busy. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

But we're slipping towards Sunday once more. We had a songs of praise last week (was that just yesterday?!). Now facing this Sunday coming and thinking about all-age communion. We're going to have the theme "Gathered in God" and using some photos of the congregation being added to the table during the service which will be covered in a fishing net. All very symbolic.

What other hymns might you imagine being used on this occasion? It is communion but not a formal communion so what hymns might bring us to the table together in this more creative context where we can spread the story out a little more and inger with it a little longer, gathered in God in bread and wine?

What hymns move us closer to this place of being caught in the net? What music and hymns move your soul and break open that sense of belonging beyond the obvious?

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Mucky Paws

Mucky Paws

Mucky Paws is a variety of bit of liturgy that have been used in New Kilpatrick. There are wee prayers, bigger prayers, creative moments, meditative sequences, actions, thoughts, reflection etc. It just a collection of whatever was possible in a particular moment and suited our culture here. That doesn't mean it will suit anywhere else but the idea might if adapted and edited to suit a different place and community. So help yourself to Mucky Paws items. they are all copyright but freely available to be adapted to suit your own place and people. A monthly digest of many of the items is available if you wish to subscribe. Just email me and you'll get about 10 pages of things towards the end of each month (which means you'll need to keep them for three years before they are useful again!)